About

So for anyone out there who is wondering about the world of ostomy or has questions about stomas, then you have come to the right place. That’s right - I’m actually what most people would consider an expert in the world of ostomy, and I have spent countless hours fielding curious and naive people’s questions day after day. Why do I take time out of my day to do this for basically no compensation? Well, it is because I have nothing else to do really. Perhaps my existence is pretty sad, but hey, I don’t judge you so there is no need to judge me. One question that I get all the time is about people wondering how a stoma limits someone in their day to day activities. There is a common misconception that people who undergo an ostomy are extremely limited in what they can do and actually live a pretty depressing and boring life. Well, luckily for you I am here to set the record straight today. There are actually a lot of things that you are able to do with a stoma. In fact, as you will read later in this article, there is basically nothing that a person with a stoma can’t do (unless it happens to be going to the bathroom like a normal person, since we all know that people with a stoma can’t do that).

Anyways, you may be surprised to know that there are actually a lot of professional and olympic athletes who wear an ostomy pouch. What’s the matter? Don’t believe me? Well, that’s okay I guess - because I’m not totally sure how true that statement is anyways. Though I’m pretty sure that people with stomas can participate in some sports like normal people. In fact, it is true that doctors actually recommend people who have had an ostomy to exercise regularly. This could mean doing things like running, walking, jogging, riding a bike, swimming, or any other type of exercise. I think sports are pretty optional as well, though I would imagine that you would want to limit the amount of contact sports you are playing. Let me paint a quick picture for you of an example where a contact sport may be a bad idea for a person with an ostomy pouch - you are playing soccer with your buddies, and you find yourself between the goal and your friend Kyle who has the ball. Kyle uses all the strength he can muster in his 220 pound body and hammers the ball directly at you. Now, by the time Kyle’s quads have had their way with that force behind the ball, you feel the heaviest impact imaginable directly onto your abdomen; right where your ostomy pouch is located.

Now you pull up your shirt to look at the damages, and it can only be described as a bunch of ground beef dumped onto the floor of a meat locker. Now you are all a mess and you have to drive to the hospital with Kyle because your stoma has been completely destroyed. How one earth will you ever tell your family what happens to you if you die? Well, this is just one example of why contact sports like soccer are not the best idea if you have an ostomy. And before you try to tell me otherwise, yes - soccer is in fact a contact sport.